In a new article series at Philly Sports Network, the guys over at Spreadin’ The Love are teaming up with some of our Philadelphia 76ers’ writers to bring you the best bets of the week. In their first week of regular-season action, the Sixers literally showed their highs, mediums, and lows. Sure, there was going to be some growing pains with a brand new looking roster, however when the dust settles, which Sixers’ team can we expect to see moving forward?
We may not have the answer to that question quite yet, but we can give you some lock bets to win you some money and make any Sixers’ loss somewhat less painful. Make sure to check out the Spreadin’ the Love podcast as well to hear more in depth analysis about not just these picks, but some NFL bets as well.
Sixers’ Schedule:
The Sixers will play three games this week, all against Eastern Conference opponents.
- December 29th at 7 PM vs. Toronto Raptors
- December 31st at 6:30 PM vs. Orlando Magic
- January 2nd at 7 PM vs. Charlotte Hornets
Ricky’s Picks
Sixers’ Sweep on the Horizon?
Look, the Sixers had a putrid game on Sunday night, but that was without Joel Embiid. Since the big man has had his rest, I fully expect him to have a big game Tuesday night against the Raptors. Aron Baynes should be the primary defender on him, who is someone Embiid has both beefed with and has had success against before.
For Tuesday night, I would look a prop bet, and take a remade parlay of an Embiid double-double and a Sixers’ win.
The next two games are where it gets a little tricky for me. The Orlando Magic has always been a stupid trap game for the Sixers, so I would personally avoid betting that game. If you could find a decent total points for Markelle Fultz, then I’d look at his under since Ben will be guarding him. As for the Charlotte game, the Sixers should win that game easily too. If the spread is anything under 7 points in favor of Philly, I’d slam it.
Sean’s Picks
Ben Simmons has been playing some great basketball this season. He may not be making an offensive impact as much as fans would like to see, but he’s steady with his production. In Tuesday night’s game against the Raptors, Pascal Siakam is a sneakily tough matchup for the Aussie. Simmons will more likely than not get ten points for the entire game, but I think that he has to find other ways to impact the game as well. Look for Ben to get his way on the glass, and dish out some sick passes. Simmons is due for a triple-double, and I think that happens this week.
My best bet of the week is for Ben Simmons to record a triple double at least once, but I think it’s most likely against the Raptors.
Zach’s Picks
Bet: Joel Embiid O 11.5 Rebounds
Joel Embiid is back in action tonight against the Raptors and will be motivated as ever after the pitiful performance the team put forth without him.
Toronto lost both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka down low while only replacing them with Aaron Baynes and Alex Len. The paint should be wide open to dominate for Embiid to dominate the board. Even though the Raptors are traditionally a good team-rebounding unit, Embiid will be the king of the boards tonight.
Steve’s Picks
I’ll go with the under Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto.
The Raptors haven’t looked good in their first two games of the season, losing both to New Orleans and the Spurs. Kyle Lowry has had a slow scoring start to the season and it seems the Raptors will be relying on Van Vleet and Siacam to do the scoring.
With how well the Sixers have done defensively so far and Ben Simmons looking like the DPOY already, I feel like they’ll shut the keymen down for the Raptors. It all comes down to one player though, and that’s Joel Embiid. He obviously missed the Sixers’ last game so if he’s back Tuesday, I’d be tempted to change my bet to the over. Plus, if you do bet the under and lose, at least you got to watch an exciting, high-scoring game.
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire
